Why are our most vulnerable children turning to crime?

Wednesday 11 Jan 2017

Charles
Sturt University (CSU) researchers have been awarded a national grant to
investigate why the Australian welfare and justice systems are turning some of
the most vulnerable children into criminals.

Dr Kath
McFarlane is working with Dr Emma Colvin and Associate Professor Alison Gerard from
the CSU Centre for Law and Justice and Dr Andrew McGrath from the
University's School of Psychology, to examine why children in out-of-home
care become involved in crime.

"Children
in residential care in particular are disproportionately represented in the
criminal justice system in NSW, Australia and internationally," Dr McFarlane
said.

"Recent research
shows children in care are more likely to enter the justice system at an early
age, to progress quickly through the justice system, to be breached for
non-compliance with bail conditions and to be remanded in custody than other
children."

Dr McFarlane
also cited CSU research that has found police are called daily to residential
care facilities to manage disputes that are largely minor offences or that
would be unlikely to attract the attention of police if they occurred at home.

"We now need to
find out how and why this happens, and how to prevent this care-to-crime
pathway.

"It is
completely unacceptable that these children are much more likely to go to jail
than to go to university. It is not good enough to just blame the young
people, when we know that our welfare and justice systems are actually leading
them into crime," Dr McFarlane said.

Dr
McFarlane has examined the care to crime pathway for her PhD studies at the University
of NSW. She has continued this work since joining CSU, where she and her
colleagues have conducted research with care providers, police officers and
lawyers in Bathurst, Orange and Dubbo as well as in metropolitan areas.

As
part of her latest project, the research group will interview magistrates and judges
who deal with vulnerable children to identify reasons for their involvement
with the justice system and investigate what can be done about the problem. Interviewees
will come from the Central West, Central Coast and Western Sydney regions in
NSW.

The
team will also review past cases and view current proceedings as part of the
study. The project is funded by the Criminology Research
Advisory Council
through its Criminology Research Grant program. A report is due to be published
in 2018.

In
addition, Dr McFarlane will travel to the United Kingdom to interviews judicial
officers, carers and child advocates to gain an international perspective on
the criminalisation of children in similar circumstances.

"We
are grateful that the Criminology Research Advisory Council has recognised the
importance of this research. We owe it to children in out of home care to
understand what drives them into the justice system, so that we can do whatever
is necessary to break this wasteful, unnecessary pathway," Dr McFarlane said.